Food Chains

Chapter 2

Section 3

Table of Contents1. Science Process Skills-----------------------1

2. Parts of a Cell----------------------------------#

3. Classifying Animals---------------------------#

4. Ecosystems-------------------------------------#

5. Food Chains/Food Webs--------------------#Make this the next clean page in your journal

In order to live animals need energy.

Some animals get the energy they need to live from eating plants and other vegetation.

Some animals get their energy from eating other animals.

Some animals eat both plants and other animals.

Energy from food A food chain describes how energy in an

ecosystem flows from one organism to another.

Producers- Make their own food Consumers- Living things that cannot

make their own food– Herbivores- eat only plants or producers– Carnivores- eat only other consumers– Omnivores- eat plants and animals

Decomposers- break down the decaying remains of dead producers and consumers

Food Chains

A food chain describes how energy in an ecosystem flows from one organism to another.

******EXAMPLE******1. Sun2. Producers- plants capture the sun’s energy to

make food3. 1st level (primary) consumer- ex. Catepillar4. 2nd level (tertiary) consumer- ex. Bird5. 3rd level consumer- ex. Cat6. Decomposers- fungus, bacteria, earthworms

Food Chain Order in which

energy is transferred from one organisms to another

Each part of a food chain is a link connected to other links.

The Sun Without the sun, there would be no

food chain It is the beginning of any food

web/food chain

Producers Plants are considered producers They use photosynthesis to

PRODUCE their own food

Consumers

Primary consumers (1st level)- eat only plants

HERBIVORES Secondary Consumers (2nd Level)- eat

other consumers– Omnivores or carnivores

Tertiary Consumers (3rd level)- Eat secondary consumers– omnivores/carnivores

Consumers Humans are consumers…. Which level would we be? Primary,

secondary or tertiary?? Humans are mostly considered “top of the

food chain” Question- If a human was stranded in the

ocean with no raft or boat…would we still be the “top of the food chain?” why or why not??

Decomposers Organisms that break down dead or

decaying plant and animal matter

There is a difference between a decomposer and a scavenger!!– Scavenger= lazy consumer

A Food Chain

Plant Insects Frog Snake

Decomposer

Hawk

Food Chain

Plankton—Crab—Seal—Orca

This is only one possible chain in a marine ecosystem.

Food Chain

Overlapping food chains are called food

webs.

THE FOOD WEB

Click the following button to complete an activity

which demonstrates how a food web works.

Food Chains/Webs Food Chain- how energy is

transferred from one organism to another– Producers, Consumers, decomposers

Food Web- overlapping food chain

What if we took the grasshopper out of the

food chain…

Now what would happen?

What do you think would happen if all the grasshoppers disappeared?

What if we took the hawk out of the food chain…

What do you think would happen if all the hawks disappeared?

Then what happens?

Think about your community of animals you have in front of

you. What would happen if one of the

animals had a disease and all died… Take one animal away from your

group. Write down what you think would

happen…

Write your observation